Tuesday, 10 September 2013

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS - JEFFREY MOORE, CINDY C. BENNETT & SHERRY GAMMON

Cindy C
Bennett: I was born in Utah and have lived there my whole life.

Sherry Gammon: I was born in Lansing, Michigan, and now live
in Upstate NY

Did you always
want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?

JM: I didn’t
always want to be a writer. I thought I’d retire in the Military like my
father.

CCB: I’ve
wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. It just took me a while to
get up the courage to actually give it a try.

SG: Same as Cindy!

When did you
first consider yourself as a "writer"?

CCB: I think
I’ve always considered myself a writer. I just didn’t consider myself an author
until my first big month of book sales. Then I felt legit.

Do you work
another job as well as your writing work?

JM: I work full
time for a global IT organization.

CCB: Writing is
my fulltime work.

SG: I did work at McDonalds (they don’t pay those poor kids enough!),
but once my books started taking off, I quit (insert happy dance here!).

What is the name
of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what
would you say?

CCB: I think we
can all agree on this one. The book is titled The Experiment. Summary: Illegal triplets search for their missing
parents, and along the way discover they have the unique ability to morph.

Who is your
publisher? or do you self publish?

CCB: I’ve done
both. I’ve published 2 books through Sweetwater Books and 1 through Noble YA,
and the rest are self-published, which I prefer.

SG: Self-publish.

How long does it
usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing
it?

JM: For me it
typically takes four months from the time I start to the time I’m finished with
edits.

CCB: It depends
on how feverishly the idea has taken hold. I’d say around six months on
average.

SG: It depends on the book. Sometimes the ideas flow like hot
butter, other times I think the butter’s frozen!

Which of your
books were easier/harder to write than the others?

JM: Easiest
would be The Untouched and the
hardest would be Jericho Solus because
of the research involved.

CCB: Easiest
was Heart on a Chain, hardest was Rapunzel Untangled—because I had a
deadline, and I don’t work well under pressure. The creativity closes off.

SG: Easiest was Not So
Easy (Hot butter). Hardest was Unbelievable,
book two in my series (frozen solid butter).
I rewrote it four or five times before I fell in love with the story.

What can we
expect from you in the future? ie More
books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?

Jeffrey Moore: The current
book I’m working on is speculative fiction aimed at a broad audience—from YA to
adult

CCB: My WIP is
contemporary YA, which is probably where you’ll find most of my books. I really
enjoy writing YA.

SG: I’m working on book three of my Port Fare series titled Unbearable, which is contemporary YA. It
is coming along very well and I am almost finished the first draft.

Do you have
plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?

JM: Following
the story I’m currently working on, I’ll move to Fifth World, the second book of a series I started with Fourth World.

CCB: I’m mostly
finished with a book called The End of
Feeling, which I hope to release in October. It’s a stand-alone.

SG: Aside from my Port Fare series, I am working on a short
story for a Christmas anthology titled Loving
Marigold, which is about a witch. I’m also working on a how-to book about
self-publishing with Cindy C Bennett. Then I’m going to take a nap!

What genre would
you place your books into?

JM: Speculative
fiction and low fantasy with undercurrents of romance and mystery. With Jericho
Solus, I used a heavy dose of historical fiction.

CCB: All are
YA, some contemporary, a few paranormal, a few fantasy/fairytale type books.

SG: YA contemporary
and YA fantasy. I’d live to try NA fiction too.

What made you
decide to write that genre of book?

JM: It’s what I
like to read most.

CCB: Like Jeff,
it’s what I like to read most, with the exception of YA dystopian. I’m not sure
if I will ever attempt to tackle that genre as much as I love it.

SG: Jeff and Cindy made me ;)

Do you have a
favourite out of the books you have written? If so why is it your favourite?

JM:The Keepers because it’s my first book
and the story I’m most attached to.

CCB: Probably
either Geek Girl because I love the
sarcasm of the heroine, or Heart on a
Chain because I wrote it for my daughters. Or The Experiment because it was such a fun, unique way to write a
book and I’m very proud of the finished product.

SG:Not so Easy is
easily my favorite. I love the raw emotion of the story. I feel it is my best
writing yet. It’s a story of courage and hope for those who desperately need
courage and hope.

Do you have a favourite
character from your books? and why are they your favourite?

JM: My
favorites so far are Jacobi and Olivia from Whispers
of Razari. I really like how each of them struggles to understand their
past and how they become close as the story develops.

CCB: Probably
Jen from Geek Girl because she
changes the most of all my characters, kicking and screaming the whole way.

SG: I like Max from Not
So Easy. I loved watching him grow and change as his reality was awakened.
I also love Maggie in Unlovable. She
is a fighter, and I love that in people.

If you had to
choose to be one of your characters in your book/books which would you be? and
why?

JM: Jericho
Solus because he knows what he wants and he’ll stop at nothing to get it. I
love his determination.

CCB: Niahm from
Immortal Mine, because she’s
immortal, and will always be young and thin, no matter how much she eats. And
she gets to spend her immortality with her soul mate.

SG: Tess. She is the main female character in Unbearable. I’d choose her because she
gets to spend forever with Booker (the main male in the story) and I LOVE
Booker<3

How long have
you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?

CCB: As long as
I can remember, but my passion for writing came when a high school teacher gave
us daily “10 Minute Writings” we had to do. It was a great creative flow, and
quickly became my favorite part of each day.

SG: I started writing at 12. Things were going on around me
that I had no control over. I dealt with them by writing poetry. My love for
story writing grew from there.

Do you have a
certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain
chair?

JM: I’m a
morning person so I use an hour and a half each morning to write while everyone
else is asleep.

Cindy C Bennett: I’m
exactly opposite of Jeff, being a night person. I write when I can, but I
really do most of my writing between 10 pm and 4 am. No music, but usually the
TV is on. Helps me pass time when my brain freezes up.

SG: I too write at night. No TV, no music. I do use music to
set a mood though. If I need to write a romantic or intense scene, I’ll play
the appreciate music to help get me in the right frame of mind.

Do you have
anybody read your books and give you reviews before you officially release
them? ie. Your partner, children, friends, reviewers you know?

JM: I’m very
fortunate to have a great group of writing partners. We bounce our ideas off
one another. We critique. We edit. And we review.

CCB: I can only
echo Jeff as we belong to the same critique group. I seriously don’t know how
I’d write without them.

SG: Ditto Jeff and Cindy. We are in a group together, which
is how The Experiment was born. The
group has taught me so much. They are invaluable in my writing. If I were rich
I’d fly all of them and their spouses to Paris for a week!

Do you gift
books to readers to do reviews?

CCB: Of course.
If I’m asking them for the favor of a review—good or bad—I’m more than happy to
send them the copy to review.

SG: Yes

Do you read all
the reviews of your book/books?

CCB: I try to
avoid them. It seems no matter how many good reviews I get, one bad one is
enough to put me into a slump. I actually get a stomach ache when I’m about to
read a review. Somehow I still end up reading them all. It’s important to know
what my readers think/feel.

SG: Yes. The good ones and the not so good ones. Great
learning tools. I do avoid the mean ones. Sometimes I think people forget we
are real live humans.

What was the
toughest/best review you have ever had?

CCB: The
funniest was a 3-star review on B&N which said nothing more than: The model
on the cover is not 17 years old [she was]. What was I supposed to take
away from that?

SG: I had one reviewer that started the book, and finished
not only the book but posted a review online all within one hour. Seriously?

Would you ever
ask a reviewer to change their review if it was not all positive about your
book/books?

JM: No. To me,
we put our books out there. Negative reviews come with the territory.

CCB: Absolutely
not. Reviews are opinions, and everyone is entitled to one. As hard as they can
be, I agree with Jeff—negative reviews come with the territory.

SG: Nope. I’m a firm believer in Free Speech.

Do you choose a
title first, or write the book then choose the title?

JM: I choose a
title at the beginning though it rarely sticks to the final version.

CCB: I’m the
worst at titles. I rarely have a title before I have the book finished, edited,
and all but ready to go.

Sherry Gammon: I enjoy coming up with titles and cover concepts. I’ve
toyed with the idea of taking some classes at the local college in graphic
design.

Do you basic
plot/plan for your book, before you actually begin writing it out? Or do you
let the writing flow and see where it takes the story?

JM: I like to
work off an outline and a draft synopsis

CCB: I think The Experiment is the only book where
I’ve worked from an outline thanks to Jeff, who wrote the outline and kept
rewriting it as Sherry and I took the story in different directions. Poor Jeff
was probably ready to tear his hair out by the time we were finished. I always
write by the seat of my pants, so to speak.

SG: Outline! I change it as I go along, but it helps me stay
focused.

What do you
think makes a book a really good/bestseller ?

JM: A story
that doesn’t have holes and leave me wondering why there are parts that were
never tied off.

What do you do
to unwind and relax? Do you have a hobby?

JM: Writing is
my hobby.

CCB: Other than
writing (which I love), I like to read and ride my Harley, or just spend
time with the family.

SG: Aside from writing, I enjoy fooling around on with
Photoshop.

Do you have a favourite
genre of book?

JM: Low fantasy

CCB: YA
dystopian.

SG: YA romance

How does the
writing process work with three authors?

JM: We began
with a story plot line/outline and character profiles and then decided that we
would each own a character and write every third chapter from that character’s
POV.

CCB: Which was
a lot of fun! Interesting to see what the other two would do with their
characters, and mine as she was incorporated into their chapters.

SG: I enjoyed throwing in random ‘stuff,’ animals and plants,
in my chapter and watching Jeff try and rein me back in (insert devils’ horns
here;}. He’d tell me we can’t make up a bunch of random animals and plants…but
I thought that was what Spec Fiction was. LOL ;}

Do you ever
disagree on the direction of a character or the plot?

JM: I think
there were some disagreements or confusion on the direction, but we worked
through it.

CCB: Says Jeff
who had to rewrite the outline multiple times because either Sherry or I would
have some inspiration and take the story completely off course, requiring a
complete revision. Lol.

Do you write alone as a sole author of a book
too? If so which do you enjoy most?

JM: I also
write solo. I think each, solo and co-authoring, has challenges. Co-authoring
is a nice break from writing solo.

CCB: We all
write solo as well. Jeff and I co-authored another book called Whispers of Razari, and Sherry and I are
in a couple of anthologies together though we didn’t co-author any story. I
like having the complete control of the story when writing solo, but I have to
say I very much enjoyed this experience as well.

SG: I prefer writing alone, but I did enjoy the diversion.
What I’d really like to do is write a story with a few authors with NO outline.
Just a general statement say: “We will go from Point A to Point B in this
story.” Then let each author write whatever they wanted! I think that would be
a lot of fun. The crazier the better!

How do you decide who writes which part of
the book?

JM: In our
story, it was actually fairly easy. We each chose a character that appealed to
us.

If there's a disagreement, say about plot,
title, cover etc how do you solve it?

JM:
Communication and compromise.

CCB: And lots
of tears. Just kidding, there was no crying. At least, not that I know of . . .

SG: Ummmm, tears?

How do you find your perfect author partner
to write with?

CCB: We just
happen to all belong to the same critique group, so it seems fate put us
together for this book. Good job, fate!

Who decides which name goes first on the
book?

CCB: We went
with alphabetical by last name.

Do you get
together in the same room to do the writing or is it all done via computers?

CCB: Jeff lives
in Massachusetts, Sherry lives in New York, and I live in Utah. That would have
made it really difficult to be in the same room. The same virtual room???

If you could
invite three favourite writers to dinner, who would you invite and enjoy
chatting with?

JM: Edgar Allan
Poe, Mark Twain, and Pearl Buck.

CCB: Jeff and
Sherry, of course. And for the third person the other original member of our
critique group, Camelia Miron Skiba.

SG: I’d like to steal Cindy’s answer, but since she has
invited us already, I’d choose Victor Hugo, C.S. Lewis, and Stephenie Meyer.

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Hi, My name is Sandra, though for my blog I go by an adaptation of my middle name, Jeanz! I live in the UK, started blogging in Aug 2011. I have always loved books!. If a blurb catches my eye I will usually give reading it a go!

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